The Cisco Kid (song)

"The Cisco Kid" is a song performed by War, and written by Thomas Allen, Harold Brown, Morris "BB" Dickerson, Charles Miller, Howard Scott, Lee Oskar and Lonnie Jordan, all members of War at the time. It is the first song on their 1972 album The World Is a Ghetto, and is the group's highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two.

This article is about the War song. For the Sublime song, see Robbin' the Hood.
"The Cisco Kid"
Single by War
from the album The World Is a Ghetto
B-side"Beetles in the Bog"
ReleasedFebruary 1973 (1973-02)
Genre
Length3:47 (Promo Version) 4:35 (Album/Single Version)
LabelUnited Artists
Songwriter(s)
  • Thomas Allen
  • Harold Brown
  • Morris "BB" Dickerson
  • Charles Miller
  • Howard Scott
  • Lee Oskar
  • Lonnie Jordan
Producer(s)Jerry Goldstein
War singles chronology
"The World Is a Ghetto"
(1972)		 "The Cisco Kid"
(1973)		 "Gypsy Man"
(1973)

Song description

The song describes the adventures of Cisco and Pancho, two cowboys from the 1950s TV program The Cisco Kid. The song is known for having a different sequence of notes following each line. A distinct four-note phrase played by saxophone, harmonica, and flute punctuates the end of the first few lines, while a brief jam from the rhythm section follows the next couple. A completely different four-note phrase (this time played by guitar) follows some of the later lyrics, as well as lines of dialogue from the television show---and a three-note sequence repeated twice in a row is played by the harmonica and saxophone. These easy-to-remember hooks, along with the funk-driven rhythm section, make this song one of War's signature tunes, and the "most fun," according to lead vocalist and guitarist Scott.

Chart performance

In the US, "The Cisco Kid" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks at the end of April and start of May 1973, kept out of #1 by "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by "Tony Orlando and Dawn"[3] On the US R&B singles chart, it peaked at No. 5.[4] It reached No. 1 in Canada on the RPM 100 singles chart.[5] It was certified gold.

Charts
Date Chart (1973) Peak
position
May 19, 1973 Canada RPM Top Singles[5] 1
April 27, 1973 US Billboard Hot 100[6] 2
May 4, 1973 US Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard)[7] 5

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Armstrong, Dave (March 14, 2013). Beatles, Motown, Beach Boys, Etc.: Classic Rock Discographies, Commentary, and Mono vs. Stereo Analysis. Lulu.com. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-105-75588-0.
  2. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Backbeat Books. p. 1206. ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3.
  3. "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. April 28, 1973.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 608. ISBN 9780898201604.
  5. "RPM100 Singles". RPM. May 19, 1973. Retrieved February 10, 2021 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  6. "War Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  7. "War Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  8. "American single certifications – War – Cisco Kid". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
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